UCCS Athletics

Dr. Nicholas A. Piantanida is the UCHealth head team physician and a primary care doctor with expertise in sports medicine.
He devoted the first 20 years of his medical career to serving the health care needs of soldiers and military families. He volunteers as a sports medicine physician at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and leads UCHealth’s citywide concussion care program.

Dr. Piantanida, a New York native, earned a military commission at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., before attending medical school at the Uniformed Services of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He had formal family medicine residency and a sports medicine fellowship at DeWitt Army Community Hospital. He also earned an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver.

Dr. Piantanida is a decorated veteran with two combat tours in the US Army.  He retired from the Army in 2014 as a colonel with numerous medals and awards to include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and two Combat Air Medals.

Dr. Piantanida has Division 1 team physician football experience.  He is a ringside physician with USA Boxing Team support.  He locally was team physician for the USL Colorado Springs Switchbacks Soccer Team 2016 to 2018. 

“I look for every opportunity to infuse my 20 years of sports medicine experience into the many aspects of wellness and chronic disease management,’’ he said. “I am a firm believer that exercise and fitness pursuits at all levels add depth and function to health care solutions.”

“I enjoy working with other physicians and medical providers in finding therapeutic and alternative medical solutions for a vast array of non-operative orthopedic conditions and sports performance concerns,’’ he said.
Dr. Piantanida has been published in numerous peer-reviewed publications and sports medicine book chapters. He has presented at numerous medical conferences both nationally and internationally.

He is married to a physician, Dr. Elizabeth Piantanida; they have three adult sons.